The present invention relates generally to power supply adapters for portable electronic devices, and more particularly to power supply adapters having cords extending therefrom which are particularly adapted to be transported with portable electronic devices.
Portable electronic devices such as notebook or laptop computers, hand-held computers or personal digital assistants, digital cameras, portable CD-RW drives, and cellular telephones may be operated from a DC power source such as a rechargeable battery or an AC-to-DC adapter. Since the life of a rechargeable battery is limited, an adapter is usually one of the accessories transported along with a portable electronic device. Such adapters are typically bulky and awkwardly-shaped, with one or more cords extending therefrom, making transportation difficult. One type of adapter 10, shown in FIG. 1, includes two cords: an electrical cord 12 having prongs 14 which plug into an electrical outlet 16, and a connecting cord 20 having a jack 22 or 23 which plugs into an external power receptor 24 on the portable electronic device 26. Another type of adapter, which is typically referred to as a xe2x80x9cwall-wartxe2x80x9d adapter, plugs directly into an electrical outlet 16 and includes only the connecting cord and prongs which extend from the housing of the adapter. With any adapter, it is a typical practice to either wrap the cord(s) around the adapter, which adds to the bulk and size of the adapter, or wrap each cord in a separate bundle. Either way, the ends of the cord(s) are usually left hanging loose or may come loose during transportation, which allows the cord(s) to become tangled with one another and with other accessories and items being transported with the portable electronic device. In addition, with the wall-wart type of adapter, the prongs extending from the housing of the adapter may be damaged during transportation and/or cause damage to surrounding items.
One solution has been to provide a wall-wart type of adapter with prongs that fold into the housing of the adapter. While that solves the problems associated with the prongs, the connecting cord still poses problems as noted above. The adapter may also be provided with a mechanical reel for winding the cord. However, such a reel is susceptible to breaking and substantially increases the size, cost, and complexity of the adapter.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a highly-portable power supply adapter which is particularly adapted to be transported with a portable electronic device.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a power supply adapter which allows the cord(s) to be wrapped therearound without adding bulk and size to the adapter.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a power supply adapter having one or more cord-wrapping channels and securing devices for the ends of the cord(s).
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a power supply adapter with a single cord-wrapping channel and securing device for the connecting cord and prongs which fold into the housing of the adapter.
The present invention is directed to a power supply adapter for a portable electronic device. The power supply adapter has a first end portion, a second end portion, and at least one channel housing portion which is recessed from the end portions. The recessed channel housing portion forms a cord-wrapping channel which is adapted to receive a cord. The cord is wrapped around the channel housing portion within the cord-wrapping channel and is removably received by a securing device. The securing device is adapted to secure the cord to the housing. The housing may have a rounded shape in order to be more aesthetically pleasing.
One embodiment of the adapter comprises a connecting cord having a jack which is adapted to be plugged into an external power receptor on the portable electronic device. This adapter has a single cord-wrapping channel which may extend partially or entirely around the circumference of the housing. Both ends of the connecting cord are preferably held within the cord-wrapping channel to provide the most compact design. A securing device is provided which is adapted to receive the jack. The securing device may be comprised of an opening in the housing and is most preferably positioned within the cord-wrapping channel. The adapter in this embodiment also comprises prongs extending from the housing which are adapted to be plugged into an electrical outlet. These prongs may be folded into a prong-receiving portion of the housing.
Another embodiment of the adapter comprises a connecting cord having a jack and an electrical cord having prongs which are adapted to be plugged into an electrical outlet. The adapter housing comprises a first end, a second end, and a middle portion which has substantially the same width as the first and second ends. The adapter has a cord-wrapping channel associated with each cord and a channel housing portion adjacent to each cord-wrapping channel. A securing device may be provided which is adapted to receive the prongs. This securing device may be comprised of openings in the housing and is most preferably positioned within the same cord-wrapping channel as the electrical cord. The securing device for the connecting cord is preferably positioned within the same cord-wrapping channel as the connecting cord. The cord-wrapping channels may extend partially or entirely around the circumference of the housing.